title: Sensorial differences according to sex and ages.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate age and sex differences in orofacial sensory detection.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and twenty-six (126) healthy subjects were divided into five groups according to their ages. They were assessed with a quantitative sensory testing protocol for gustative, olfactory, thermal (cold/warm), mechanical (tactile/vibration/electric), and pain (deep/superficial) detection thresholds. The corneal reflex was also evaluated. Data were analyzed with the one-way ANOVA, chi-squared, Fisher's exact, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The groups of subjects over 61 years old had higher olfactory (P < 0.001), gustative (sweet P = 0.004, salty P = 0.007, sour P = 0.006), thermal (warm P < 0.001, cold P < 0.001), and tactile (P < 0.001) detection thresholds than the others. The vibration detection threshold was high only for subjects over 75 years old (P < 0.001). The electric and deep pain detection thresholds were different for the 61-75 years old group (P ≤ 0.001). Women in all age groups had lower gustative (sweet P = 0.020, salty P = 0.002, sour P < 0.001, and bitter P = 0.002), olfactory (P = 0.010), warm (P < 0.001) and deep (P < 0.001), and superficial pain (P = 0.008) detection thresholds than men, and men from all age groups had lower vibratory detection thresholds (P = 0.006) than women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High sensory detection thresholds were observed in subjects over the 6th decade of life, and women had a more accurate sensory perception than men.
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: J T T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jacob Filho
authors.forename: S  R D T
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Siqueira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: aging; elderly; gustation; olfaction; pain; quantitative sensory testing; somatosensory thresholds